Alice in Wonderland

Sometimes you cry at the movies out of sheer boredom. Just watching Alice in wonderland and wondering if this is the same Sibi Malayil who directed classic films (Bharatham, Kireedom) and entertainers (Summer in Bethlehem, Dasaratham in the past?

There is no sense and style in this helter-skelter endeavour trying to cash in on a brother’s steamy sentimental love for his mentally challenged sister who turns violent at the drop of a hat. Jayaram’s character has shades of Mammootty in Kali oonjal in which Shalini played his sister.

Alby (Jayaram) runs a workshop and is shown as a mechanic but lives like a king in a newly brought palace sort of house in Ooty! His sister Alice (Sandhya) is mentally challenged after a shock (which is not explained well) and gets violent at each and every turn. Alby lives for her and tries to dance to her tunes on the advice of her doctor (Jyothirmayi) to avoid her from falling into frequent bout of depression!

Though Alice’s doctor suggests that she should be put in a mental asylum, Alby refuses and allows the mentally ill girl to walk around freely creating problems for people around. However Alice has a past as she is the mother of a four-year-old girl who is kept away from her as she hates the child. The child grows up in an orphanage under the eyes of a priest (Jagathy) and Alby takes care of her.

Sophie, a research scholar ( Laya) meets Alby and falls in love with him (?) after hearing his story. Meanwhile Alice gets attracted to Victor (Vineeth) a roadside magician but Alby does not approve of it. The rest of the film is how Victor helps Alice to recover from her illness and reunites her with the child.

How will the viewer digest this unbelievable yarn that is told in an old fashioned way and moves at snail pace? It is one of Sibi’s worst movies in recent times and a talented actor like Jayaram is totally wasted in a role that he sleepwalks. Sandhya , the new girl on whom the story revolves has given a commendable performance though the story and screenplay lets her down. Laya was reduced to an extra’s role while Sukumari, Jagathy, Janardhanan and others look like caricatures. Vineeth irritates you with his body language and mannerisms and it is sad that the actor is reduced to doing such inept roles.

The music of Vidyasagar is nothing to write about and on the whole, it is a sleep-inducing film. Sibi Malayil is clearly in blunderland!